Thomas Benjamin Price, 31, a Swiss man with United States citizenship, had pleaded guilty to possession of the protected wildlife, and Mexican Gustavo Eduardo Toledo-Albarran, 28, had admitted hunting the lizards.

Their German business partner, Manfred Walter Bachmann, 55, had previously admitted his part and was sentenced to 15 weeks in jail.

The sentencings followed condemnation of five Norwegian hunters who last week posted a YouTube video of their New Zealand trip, including footage showing one shooting a protected native kereru (wood pigeon).

The Department of Conservation (DOC) said yesterday it had identified the hunters and was pursuing them under an international wildlife treaty.

Defence lawyer Simon Graham (left) said Thomas Benjamin Price (centre) and Gustavo Eduardo Toledo-Albarran had expected to get $2500 for each of the smuggled geckos. Photo / Simon Baker